Your Orange County Children’s Bookstore

August 20, 2015

Those of us who live in Orange County are lucky to live in such a beautiful and vibrant place. The weather, the people, the natural beauty, the local businesses…we have it all. For these reasons, families have flocked to Orange County and it’s wonderful cities like Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Tustin, Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, Huntington Beach and more to raise their children. The schools are amazing here, and growing up in this area means you are truly lucky! Because of all of this, it’s nice to have local businesses that meet the needs of the community and it’s local families, which is why we created Island Tales Bookshop to be your Orange County Children’s Bookstore!

Island Tales Bookshop is a unique children’s book shop located on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. Our quaint little shop is filled with quality children’s literature both new titles and the classics. We also carry unique and wonderful gifts for those special times in a child’s life. Additionally, Island Tales offers children’s crafting in our fun arts and crafts room, story time in the book store and event hosting for birthday parties and other special events. We’ve created this special space to be a place the entire family can enjoy from your littlest ones to their grandmas and grandpas too!

Island Tales Bookshop was first imagined from the creative minds of Donna Mantei and Susan Nielson who met over 17 years ago during their careers as teachers in Newport Beach, CA. Susan and Donna taught across the hall from each other, and upon meeting they quickly became friends. Many times throughout their careers, they often talked about the future and how they could continue to have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families after their time in the classroom came to a close. With their mutual love for reading, as well as their passion and expertise in early childhood education, a children’s bookshop seemed like the perfect answer.

We love being your go-to children’s bookstore in Orange County, and we will continue to work hard to bring the best books, gifts and more to our little shop on Balboa Island. We’ve also created a space for you and your family to come and sit and have fun reading and enjoying books and all that they have to offer. From our weekly Storytime sessions for young readers, to just hanging out in our wonderful little space on the Island enjoying books….we are your Orange County children’s bookstore.